Costing an estimated $25 billion, Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood is already the largest real-estate development in American history.
And soon, the neighborhood will break another record. 30 Hudson Yards, a skyscraper under construction on the island’s far west side, will feature the highest outdoor observation deck in New York City and the Western Hemisphere.
A construction crew began installing the 765,000-pound, steel deck on Tuesday. When complete, it will jut out from the tower 1,100 feet in the air.
Take a look below.
The skyscraper, dubbed 30 Hudson Yards, is located along the Hudson River at the southwest corner of 33rd Street in Manhattan.
Spanning around 28 acres, Hudson Yards broke ground in late 2012, and construction is expected to wrap up in 2024.
Measuring 1,296-feet-tall, the steel-and-glass skyscraper will feature offices, a restaurant, a bar, an event space, and shops. It will also connect directly to the subway's 7 line.
Tenants of the tower - designed by architect Kohn Pederson Fox Associates and developed by Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group - will include include DNB Bank, Time Warner Inc., and Wells Fargo.
When complete, the tower's outdoor observation deck will be the highest in the Western Hemisphere and the fifth highest in the world.
Below is a rendering of the observation deck's 10,000-square-foot lounge, which will include the bar, restaurant, and event space.
The deck's 15 pieces were built in Italy and then carried over by ferry to 30 Hudson Yards. Each section weighs between 35,000 and 100,000 pounds.
A crane is lifting up the pieces to the peak of the tower.
A construction crew is bolting the pieces together, anchoring the 7,500-square-foot deck to the east and south sides of the building.
It will extend 65 feet away from the tower, which will be the second-tallest building in NYC behind One World Trade.
"When it opens, the Hudson Yards Observation Deck will serve as the new focal point for the west side skyline," Jay Cross, president of Related, said in a statement.
The observation deck is scheduled to open in late 2019, a few months after 30 Hudson Yards opens in March 2019.
